Former Boston Red Sox All-Star Pitcher Dead At 83 Tuesday
Today at 11:27 AM
A legendary MLB pitcher whose career spanned nearly two full decades passed away on Tuesday.
Luis Tiant, who spent most of his 19-year Major League career with the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians, passed away at the age of 83. A native of Marianao, Cuba, "El Tiante" made three All-Star Games and twice led the American League in ERA during his legendary run. While he has never been voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Tiant has been enshrined in four other places: the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame, the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the Baseball Relinquary's Shrine of the Eternals.
Fred Lynn, Tiant's former teammate with the Red Sox, confirmed his death this morning on X/Twitter.
"Today is a very sad day. My friend and teammate , Luis Tiant, passed away. A Big game pitcher, a funny genuine guy who loved his family and baseball. I miss him already….RIP my friend," Lynn wrote, including a recent picture of himself and Tiant.
Today is a very sad day. My friend and teammate , Luis Tiant, passed away. A Big game pitcher, a funny genuine guy who loved his family and baseball. I miss him already….RIP my friend. pic.twitter.com/9jFODk2Che
— Fred Lynn (@19fredlynn) October 8, 2024
For his career, Tiant finished with an overall record of 229-172 in 573 appearances with 484 starts. He struck out 2,416 batters over 3,486.1 innings and posted a final ERA of 3.30 with a WHIP of 1.20.
Tiant won 20 or more games in a season four times (1968, 1973-74, 1976) and posted two top-five finishes in Cy Young voting. He also finished fifth for the American League MVP Award in 1968.
In 1975, Tiant was one of the top hurlers for a Red Sox team that reached Game 7 of the World Series. In four postseason starts that year, he went 3-0 with a 2.65 ERA.
Overall, Tiant pitched for six franchises: the Indians (1964-69), Minnesota Twins (1970), Red Sox (1971-78), New York Yankees (1979-80), Pittsburgh Pirates (1981) and California Angels (1982).
Our thoughts and prayers are with Tiant's family, friends and former teammates during this difficult time.
